Magento multiple stores, same installation, 3 checkout, 3 domains, 1 hosting: how to install SSL?

I have read about everything about this situation and had very different recommendations and read many differents scenarios from 2007 to 2010. But nothing exactly like my case even here on stackoverflow, so I'm here to ask the real experts. Considering this:

website1.com - hosting: simplehelix - domain name: simplehelix - main magento installation (1.3.2.4) - SSL installed - paypal PRO (credit card 开发者_开发问答taken directly on this site)

website2.com - hosting: none - domain name: goddady - DNS/nameserver: to simplehelix servers - folder called /website2/ that loads magento - paypal PRO (credit card taken directly on this site)

website3.com - hosting: geohost - domain name: geohost - DNS/nameserver: to simplehelix servers

- folder called /website3/ that loads magento - paypal PRO (credit card taken directly on this site)

All 3 sites share most of the same products (80%) because they are 3 real physical businesses from the same owner having mostly the same products. They use one Magento admin for products, categories, customers, sales.

QUESTION: Now, in 2011, I'd like to know exactly what is the simplest, easiest, fastest way to have SSL on website2 and website3 so that all our transactions are secured? Can I just buy SSL on godaddy and geohost and install it there on the domain names and it will work even if the DNS is pointing to simplehelix? Do i have to reinstall magento on 2 new hosting plans + ssl and not be able to share same database?

Note: - we do not want to share carts - we want people to stay on the respective websites - we want to use paypal pro - keep cost down - please be clear on your steps/description, as this might help many other people more/less technical

Thank you for your help

Joel

I'm not sure how you've had different recommendations. The answer is simple: you'll need to buy an SSL certificate for each of your domains that you want secured.

Sharing a Magento installation, talking about the DNS, etc, is not relevant.

Buy the SSL certificates, get your webhost (it looks like you're using SimpleHelix for hosting all of the websites) to install them all for you, then change the secure URL in the Magento admin for each of your stores (use the dropdown in the configuration area to change the configuration scope from Global to each store in turn) to the appropriate URL, presumably https://www.website{1,2,3}.com from http://www.website{1,2,3}.com.

Easy :)

Sounds like you need to think of Magento terminology 'stores' or 'websites' - with 'stores' you can have lots of them on the same SSL, sharing the same checkout. However, if you have built your sites with 'websites' then you cannot have them all go to the same checkout and you will need multiple IP addresses. It is relatively simple to move your hosting to a VPS that supports more than one IP address, although check before you leap. It is also possible to move your 'stores' to a single 'website' in Magento.

Ok, it seems that the easiest way to do this was to buy 2 new hosting accounts at my hosting provider and then buy SSL on both and ask them to redirect to the Magento installation. It worked, but it cost 2x hosting account that I do not use at all...